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Silvertwinkie · 12-29-2003, 07:18 AM

Caught this on CNN today. How very sad.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/12/2....ap/index.html

Chas · 12-29-2003, 09:09 AM

Very sad indeed,

Probably a mute point here, being a motorhome, but seatbelts would have probably saved almost all of them.

Chas

wahoonc · 12-29-2003, 09:27 AM

I would be interested in seeing the accident report and seeing if there were any contributing factors, like how long the person had been operating a motorhome, excessive speed, maintentance records, seat belt usage, ectera. It is a tragedy, and probably a preventable one. I drive in excess of 50k miles a year and see too many accidents on the way to happen, RV's being driven with no regard for the fact you are driving a 5-7 ton vehicle, tailgating, excessive speed and the like. I was on I-95 north a while back when a Class C with a toad went by me at over 80 mph, about 30 miles up the road there it was again, the toad was upside down in the ditch and the RV was off in the woods, suprisingly enough there were no fatalities, but the guy was charged with careless and reckless and rightfully so.

Aaron

**Stefrobrts** · 12-29-2003, 09:55 AM

Back in '86 my future husband and I were driving into downtown Portland to see a play when a motorhome going across an overpass over I-84 near Lloyd Center suddenly drifted over the edge, through the guardrail, and down onto the freeway below. Without a doubt the most surreal thing we've ever seen. It was almost in slow motion. It hit the car four cars ahead of us, and I distinctly remember the other cars around us locking them up, particularly a corvette that had a VERY near miss with the front end of the debris. Amazingly, no one on the freeway was hurt, and there were no fenderbenders as a result of dropping a motorhome across three lanes of freeway.

The whole freeway was blocked, and we sat there for nearly an hour until police turned everyone around and led us back up off an onramp. Many people immediately ran up to the accident and started trying to help the people, but since it had flipped and landed on it's roof, nose first, they didn't really have a chance.

As I recall there were two folks on that motorhome, and both died. They were from Canada, and the assumption was that someone had dozed off at the wheel.

**Janet H** · 12-29-2003, 08:49 PM

Bummer. I live in Richland, WA and this family lived 3 miles away.

87MH · 12-30-2003, 05:33 AM

Anyone have an idea of the make of motor home and the manufacturer of the chassis?

wahoonc · 12-30-2003, 06:01 AM

Another thing that I just realized after reading the article again...there were 10 people on board, I don't recall ever seeing a MH with seatbelts for 10 people most I ever recall has been 8 and that one had a dinette and sofa.

Aaron

87MH · 12-30-2003, 07:36 AM

The 345 was equipped with 11 belted seats.

4 in the dinette.

3 on the couch.

4 total, two barrel swivel chairs, and two pilot/co-pilot chairs.

wahoonc · 12-30-2003, 08:08 AM

I consider AS to be the exception, I was primarily thinking of the more modern units

Don't recall seeing barrel chairs with seatbelts recently, only the couches and dinettes.

Aaron

53flyingcloud · 12-30-2003, 08:33 AM

Wind ...

It now appears that wind was a major factor..
Crash

Way too sad..
There is a picture of the MH but, I could not make out the name.

ciao

**Janet H** · 12-30-2003, 10:30 AM

I live in the same area as this family......

The local paper reports that the Mattila family rented a 30 ft 2001 Georgetown motor home - locally.

They were returning from an extended holdiday trip to Arizona with 8 of their 9 children along. The kids range in age from 5 months to 18 years. They regularly went camping and the local paper says that wind may NOT have been a factor. This family lost both parents and to date, four kids. Local community members, family and representitives from the families church have gone to Utah to offer support. The paper reports that counselors will be available at the kids' school to offer greif counseling upon the re-opening of school.

Roads were bare and dry at the time of the accident and it is unknown if the passengers were wearing belts because the vehicle was completely destroyed.